Audit Report on the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society’s Screening of Personnel through the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment

This audit determined whether personnel working at the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society’s Brevoort Children’s Center (BCC) located at 250 Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn have been properly screened through the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR).  New York City Health Code §47.19 requires that all child care center employees and volunteers undergo an SCR clearance review prior to being hired and every two years thereafter.

Child care centers are essential for many working families.  They contribute to the overall development of children by providing education, recreation, and a safe and structured environment for children while their parents work.  The Brooklyn Kindergarten Society operates a child care center for children two to four years old at 250 Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn (and at four other locations) under a contract with the New York City (City) Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).

Audit Findings and Conclusions

We reviewed the SCR-clearance status of 19 individuals who were working as employees at BCC as of January 19, 2017, and found that for five employees, BCC had not obtained the most recently required SCR clearances on time; the clearances were late by periods that ranged from 20 days to over one year and three months.  We also found that BCC had not obtained an SCR clearance for one employee as of the date of our visit, even though the individual had been hired more than six months prior to our visit.

 Audit Recommendations

To address these issues, the audit recommends, among other things, that the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society ensure that all of its personnel receive the required initial SCR clearances before they start work and renewal SCR clearances within two years of their prior clearances.

Agency Response

In its written response, the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society agreed with the audit’s three recommendations.  The Brooklyn Kindergarten Society’s response is included as an addendum to this report.  One sentence of its response was redacted because it referred to the name of an employee and to the attachment of the employee’s most recent SCR clearance letter, which, for confidentiality reasons, we are unable to attach to this report.  We note the receipt of this clearance letter in the body of the report